Container with a plurality of inner compartments

ABSTRACT

A container has an outer shell and includes a bottom wall, at least one integral side wall, and an open upper end defining a chamber therein. Within the outer shell chamber, at least two parallel spaced divider walls are provided, each having top, bottom and side edges. The bottom edge of each wall is integrally connected with the inner surface of the outer shell bottom wall, and the side edges of each are integrally connected with the inner surface of the outer shell side wall. The divider walls extend vertically from the bottom wall toward the outer shell open upper end. At least one compartment is integrally connected with one divider wall and has an open upper end defining a chamber therein. A drawstring and securing device are arranged within a seam of the outer shell at an upper portion of the outer shell for closing the open upper end and securing the supplies within the container. Preferably, the outer shell is made of a synthetic resin or similar material which is used for improved structural integrity and water-resistance.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to containers for carrying supplies and more specifically to a light-weight bag for carrying supplies during outdoors expeditions, for instance for use by an armed forces soldier.

For most outdoors expeditions, travelers tend to carry containers in which supplies such as clothes, food, and tools can be carried easily from place to place. One such container is a backpack, typically configured with two straps for carrying across one's back, which often includes zippered compartments for holding any materials needed for a trip. Another is simply a single-compartment bag, referred to often as a “stuff sack”, which is also used to carry supplies but has a single strap for carrying over one's shoulder and/or across one's chest.

Stuff sacks are elongated bags, often times of cylindrical configuration, though any shape is conceivable, that include a single opening arranged at the top of the bag which provides access to an inner chamber of the bag that is used to carry supplies. Stuff sacks are simple, convenient bags that are useful for camping trips or other excursions in which one has to do a lot of hiking over a lengthy period of time, therefore requiring a smaller, simpler device that can carry essentials but that isn't too heavy. These bags are often made of a flexible material, for instance canvas or nylon, and can include materials with water-resistance properties.

Though these bags can be used to simply store and carry items, they have drawbacks. The single inner chamber makes sorting and locating materials difficult. If something is needed in a hurry, for instance a flash light, and someone reaches into the bag's inner chamber to find a stored flash light, that person might need to dig through clothing and other supplies before finding the device, sometimes requiring that all of the contents be removed from the bag to more easily locate the device.

Further, to see into a stuff sack at night, one needs a flashlight or headlamp, which could be stored in the bag or in another carrier. If the light is stored in the inner chamber of the bag it can be a challenge to find in the dark, as noted above, and if not in the bag, then more carriers are needed to store the flashlight in a convenient location. For some users, for instance those in the armed forces, a flashlight might not be an option because of the attention drawn from such a light, which might compromise the position of an individual or unit. Thus, there is a need for a stuff sack that is easier to organize and search.

The current state of the art for stuff sacks such as those detailed above is in need of improvement so that the stuff sack can perform its main function of providing a light, versatile bag in which a user can quickly stuff items and an access items in a moment's notice. While the stuff sacks currently found in the art are suitable for quickly stuffing with materials, allowing someone to immediately pack up and move from one location to another, they are not adequate for accessing those materials once they have been placed in the bag and need to be retrieved.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a container, such as a stuff sack, for storing supplies. The container has an outer shell with a length greater than its width and includes a bottom wall, at least one integral side wall, and an open upper end defining a chamber therein. Within the outer shell chamber there are at least two parallel spaced divider walls each having top, bottom and side edges. The bottom edge of each wall is integrally connected with the inner surface of the outer shell bottom wall, and the side edges of each wall are integrally connected with the inner surface of the outer shell side wall. The divider walls extend vertically from the bottom wall toward the outer shell open upper end. There is also at least one compartment integrally connected with one divider wall and which has an open upper end defining a chamber therein. Preferably, the outer shell is made of a synthetic resin or similar material which provides improved structural integrity and water-resistance.

In a preferred embodiment, a drawstring is arranged within a seam of the outer shell at an upper portion of the outer shell. The drawstring closes the open upper end and secures the supplies within the container. A locking mechanism secures the drawstring when it is pulled tight.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer shell has one of a generally cylindrical and rectangular shape and the divider walls include two parallel spaced compartments attached thereto at an upper portion of the divider walls.

In another embodiment, the divider walls are arranged within the outer shell chamber to define three sub chambers of equal width. For instance, if the diameter of a cylindrical embodiment of the present disclosure is approximately 15.75 inches, then the dividers create three sub chambers that are each 5.25 inches wide. For a generally square embodiment, the width and length would both be identical, creating sub chambers of equal-dimension for all aspects.

In yet another embodiment, at least one loop is connected with a divider wall or an upper portion of an inner surface of the outer shell side wall. If connected with a divider wall, the loop is preferably arranged proximate to the upper edge of the divider wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a container according to a preferred embodiment according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the container according to the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the container of FIG. 1 in a fully closed condition;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a divider wall of the container according to the disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the divider wall of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a preferred embodiment for the container of the present disclosure. The container 2 includes a flexible outer shell 4 having a length L greater than its width W and having a bottom wall 6, an integral side wall 8, and an open upper end 10 defining a chamber therein. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that there could be more than one side wall, each side wall connected via stitching, glue or other known methods. One or more parallel spaced divider walls 12 are connected with an inner surface of the side wall and extending vertically from the bottom wall toward the open upper end to define sub-chambers within the chamber. If desired, the divider walls may also be connected with an inner surface of the bottom wall.

The benefit of the divider walls 12 is that a user of the container can organize the materials placed therein. For instance, one of the sub-chambers could hold a sleeping bag and clean clothes, the second sub-chamber could hold food and/or tools, and the third sub-chamber could hold dirty, wet clothes.

The container 2 also includes a mechanism 14 connected with the outer shell for closing the open upper end 10 to secure the supplies stored within the chamber. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the mechanism could be a drawstring 16 arranged within a seam 18 of the outer shell which is located near the upper end of the container. To secure the materials within the bag, the drawstring is pulled tight and a locking mechanism 20 is engaged to secure the drawstring in place to tightly close the upper end of the container.

FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the container wherein the mechanism 14 for closing the upper end and securing the supplies within the chamber is a hook and loop fastener 22. The hook and loop fastener is connected with an inner surface of an upper edge of the at least one integral side wall and the outer shell, respectively. When the hooks and loops are connected with each other, the upper end is sealed tight, at which time the upper end is folded over itself to further secure it and allow the bag to be carried. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that other forms of closing and securing the container could be used, for instance buckles, buttons, clips, latches, zippers, etc.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown a preferred embodiment of one divider wall 12 of the present disclosure. The wall has top 24, bottom 26 and side edges 28 and a generally rectangular configuration, although other shapes are conceivable so long as they conform with the shape of the bag. The wall side edges are connected with an inner surface of the container side wall 8 beginning at a lower portion of the inner chamber and moving up toward the open upper end 10 of the bag. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the divider walls 12 extending from the bottom wall 6 of the container up to the open upper end 10. In some embodiments, the divider walls do not extend the entire length of the bag but may extend from a portion near the bottom wall and up to a portion near the open upper end. So long as the walls perform their function of adequately dividing the inner chamber into sub-chambers and providing for separation of supplies, any length of divider wall is conceivable.

At least one compartment 30 may be attached to a divider wall. As shown in FIG. 5, there are two parallel spaced compartments, and as shown in FIG. 6, there is one, wider compartment. The compartments are connected with a divider wall and are configured to have an open upper end to define a chamber therein. The compartments provide additional storage for smaller supplies, such as tools or food. These containers, as with the divider walls, provide more opportunities for a user of the container to organize his or her supplies, making it easier to locate the supplies when needed.

Loops 32 are connected with an upper portion of the divider wall 12. Any number of loops can be provided. They are used for further organization and ease of retrieval of certain items. For instance, as shown in FIG. 6, a small light fob is connected with the loop. This provides ease of searching through the bag at night when a larger light is not available or otherwise cannot be used.

In a preferred embodiment, the bottom wall of the container has a diameter of approximately 16 inches and the side wall has a length of approximately 30 inches. The divider walls are equally spaced apart with approximately 5.33 inches of space between each. Preferably the container is formed by stitching the walls together. However, separate forms of integral connections could be used, such as for instance sealing the seams with heat and tape or glue.

Although the above description with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised and employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 

1. A container for storing supplies, comprising: (a) a flexible outer shell having a generally cylindrical configuration with a length significantly greater than its diameter and having a bottom wall, at least one integral side wall, and an open upper end defining a chamber therein; (b) at least two parallel spaced divider walls having top, bottom and side edges and a generally rectangular configuration, said divider wall side and bottom edges being continuously connected with and forming a seal between an inner surface of said at least one side wall and said bottom wall, respectively, to define an inner sub-chamber having a generally rectangular configuration and two outer sub-chambers having generally cylindrical-segment configurations, whereby when wet items are placed in one sub-chamber the sealed edges of that sub chamber prevent water from passing through to the other sub-chambers; and (c) at least one compartment attached to at least one divider wall and having an open upper end to define a chamber therein.
 2. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a mechanism connected with said outer shell for closing said open upper end.
 3. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 2, wherein said mechanism includes a drawstring arranged within a seam of said outer shell, said seam being positioned proximate to an upper portion of said outer shell.
 4. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 2, wherein said mechanism includes a hook and loop fastener connected with an inner surface of an upper edge of said at least one integral side wall and said outer shelf, respectively.
 5. (canceled)
 6. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 1, wherein said divider wall have two parallel spaced compartments connected therewith.
 7. (canceled)
 8. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 6, wherein said compartments are attached to said divider walls proximate to an upper portion of said divider walls, respectively.
 9. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 1, and further comprising at least one loop connected with one of said divider walls proximate to an upper edge thereof.
 10. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible outer shell and said two parallel spaced divider walls are formed of a water-resistant synthetic resin.
 11. A container for storing supplies as defined in claim 1, wherein said divider wall side and bottom edges are continuously connected with said and form a seal between at least one side wall and said bottom wall, respectively, via an adhesive. 